Proposed OPT fees could change international graduates’ route to work

October 15, 2026

Female student performs chemistry experiment in a lab

The Department of Homeland Security proposed new Optional Practical Training fees on October 8 that would require colleges to pay $70,000 before an international student’s first OPT recommendation covered by the new fee. Subsequent recommendations would cost $30,000 after the initial fee had been paid. The fees are not in effect.

OPT allows eligible students with F-1 visas to work temporarily in jobs related to their field of study, including students at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Inside Higher Ed reported that the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities questioned whether institutions could afford the proposed charge.

National research helps explain the proposal’s relevance to graduate education. A January 2026 Institute for Progress analysis of federal data for fiscal years 2017–2022 reported annual averages that imply about 77% of full-time post-completion OPT and STEM OPT workers held master’s or doctoral degrees. That percentage describes participation during those years and cannot establish UofL’s graduate share or the number who would face the fees.

“The potential for changes in OPT, including this recently announced fee change, is already having implications for international student recruitment, especially for doctoral programs and in STEM fields,” said Dr. Melissa Whatley, assistant professor of higher education in William & Mary’s School of Education, who studies policies and practices shaping access to international education. Whatley also warned that reduced recruitment could mean a loss of talent for the United States over the longer term.

UofL classified 4.9% of its total population of 25,005 as “nonresident aliens” in fall 2025, equivalent to roughly 1,200 people based on that rounded percentage. The category does not identify F-1 status or OPT participation, and alumni working through OPT may fall outside enrollment counts. These figures cannot establish how many UofL students and graduates would be affected, how many are in CEHD, or what the university might owe.

For CEHD, the proposal concerns the relationship between education and employment. International students considering UofL may weigh opportunities to gain professional experience after completing a degree. Kentucky employers recruiting those graduates may also have an interest in whether OPT remains affordable. The proposed fees could influence those decisions, although their effects on CEHD enrollment and Kentucky hiring are unknown.

Public comments are due November 9, 2026, and DHS proposes implementing the fees 60 days after publication of a final rule. The fee amounts, payment requirements and transition provisions remain subject to change through rulemaking.

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